Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues

• 12-14-2007 10:18 AM

  michelleb+1 Joined on 04-03-2006 Posts 61

  Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact Hello all, A bit new to posting on this board but member of Dec. 06 board.  I have a 1 yr old, Marvin, who co-sleeps with us (which we are happy with).  I would very much call our parenting style attachment parenting.  We have always held our son, rocked, bounced, cuddled him to sleep.  First questions:  am I wrong to think that we will be able to change this pattern later on when he is old enough to understand through communication how to feel more comfortable to fall asleep on his own?  People keep on telling us, you are going to make a sleeping pattern now that will last for a life time.  THOUGHTS? Second: My son still wakes up (except not last nite which was AMAZING) and wants a bottle.  I know at this point, he should not need food in the middle of the night but he really seems hungry and just pounds away in seconds.  I think this is because he was soo used to breast feeding throughout the middle of the night consistently until he was 9 months.  Any of your one year olds still need night feedings?  I try to feed more in the day and last night it worked but not all nights....feed back.  Thanks for looking at my very long post and looking forward to hearing comments "attachment parenting" related as opposed to typical societies responses.

• 12-14-2007 10:32 AM

  In reply to

  ifisaidtomorrow Joined on 10-26-2005 KCMO. Posts 6,665

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact Hi, while I don't really post on this board, I follow more of an attachment parenting way (I guess).... in any case... My son is almost 20 months old, still breastfed, co-sleeps and I have yet to see him sleep through a night (still waiting for that "it'll get better" to kick in :-p). I don't think you're setting him for a bad sleeping habit, although this is my first and no one in my family (or that I know personally) has ever done anything like this... so I'm not entirely sure how this will turn out. But I've had ladies on my birth board (april 06) that have done this exact thing and their older children sleep fine by themselves now. As for the bottle... one thing I HAD to stop doing with my son was I would constantly just nurse him whenever he woke up. He's my first and I knew no better and it was easy to get him to fall back asleep this way. Unfortunately, that DID set up a bad habit that I'm working on fixing now. I don't even produce as much milk anymore so I know that he's just using the breast to pacify. In any case, I stopped letting him nurse whenever he woke up, I'll pat his butt, whatever, to get him to fall back asleep without nursing. It's not solved the problem, but it's helped. Have you tried to just cuddle him back without giving the bottle? Or what about keeping a cup of water by the bed so if he's thirsty he can just have a quick drink (and who knows, if you break that bottle in the night habit, that might solve the issue altogether).

• 12-14-2007 12:33 PM

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  Stacey1411974 Joined on 05-10-2006 Billings, MT Posts 112

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact I feel the exact same way about my 16 month old daughter sleeping with us, I think once  I am able to explain to her better about a "big girl bed" she will be able to make the transistion. I think that is what "attachment parenting" is all about.  On your second problem I don't have much advice, Savana wakes up for her binky but not to eat. But I think maybe a cup of water or even a bottle of water might help him and you realize he doesn't need to eat at night but maybe just drink. Good Luck!

• 12-15-2007 5:02 AM

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  Cecilia0909 Joined on 11-24-2007 Ohio Posts 1,428

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact My daughter slept with me from the time she was born until she was about 4. I breast fed until she was around 16 months old and once she stopped nursing, she kept waking up after and wanted to be soothed back to sleep. I would say she started to sleep through the night around 2 and half. She is nine now and sleep just fine at night. She has been in her own bed since 4 years old, and has been fine with it ever since.

• 12-17-2007 11:57 AM

  In reply to

  michelleb+1 Joined on 04-03-2006 Posts 61

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact Thanks guys for the input.  I am working on switching to a water bottle at night.  1 for 2 on that.....but with my coffee in the morning I am gonna keep going for it (my lil man knows what he wants!).  Glad to hear that you all think that I am not creating sleep problems for the future....my instict tells me I am not either.  We have started our little nite time routine and it is working great.  Thanks again all

• 12-30-2007 6:39 PM

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  PeYtoNsMoMMy Joined on 05-09-2007 Central Florida Posts 13

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact I just wanted to say what a relief it is to read these posts. I am a first time mom, and I am still breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and my son has yet to come close to sleeping through the night. he is 10 months. Anyway, I am to the point where I don't bring up any of these things around friends and family because of the negative reaction, or the look of disappointment on their faces like I am ruining my child. I am so glad to hear other moms be honest about the not sleeping through the night....the co-sleeping works for us so get over it attitudes....I will definitely start hanging out on here more often...WHAT A COMFORT!!!!!!

• 07-14-2008 1:29 PM

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  jrflutist Joined on 07-16-2005 Central Texas Posts 79

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact We stopped co-sleeping a few months ago (my son is 2). He didn't like my bed, and I don't like his bed (bad back - lots of pain), so we have gone our seperate ways. It was a mutual decision, and from that first night on, he slept all night. He had been waking up every three hours for quite a while (frustrating) but now we all sleep well. He was trying to tell me he was done co-sleeping and I didn't get the message. (what kind of AP parent am I? JK - we're in sync again - all is well) It's just not for everyone. I wish it had been for us, but maybe the next kiddo....

• 07-15-2008 2:37 PM

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  Ashley2359165 Joined on 08-25-2007 Posts 4

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact I have no problem with attachment parenting but I'm going to try to say this as nice as possible - all of you that are co-sleeping with your children have the same problem - they're not sleeping through the night....have you ever thought that it was b/c you're sleeping together? I used to co-sleep with my daughter up until she was 6 weeks old. But I wasn't getting a good sleep so I decided to try to kick the habit as that was the only way she seemed to want to sleep - it took a couple of long nights but I finally got her sleeping in her cradle. She is now 3 1/2 months old and is sleeping through the night - we both sleep good.

• 07-15-2008 6:33 PM

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  jrflutist Joined on 07-16-2005 Central Texas Posts 79	Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact I think there are too many reasons that kids don't sleep through to blame it on co-sleeping. It was probably the deal with us, but there are lots of co-sleepers who sleep great and plenty of co-sleepers with other issues. Every kid is different, every parent is different.

• 07-15-2008 6:36 PM

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  jrflutist Joined on 07-16-2005 Central Texas Posts 79	Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact Also.... I have a 14year old niece who still doesn't sleep through the night, and she never co-slept with her parents. Go figure.

• 11-09-2008 4:36 PM

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  Abigail with 3 Joined on 11-10-2008 Posts 6

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact My younger two co-slept with me for about a year then went to toddler beds with a little gentle transition, it was no big deal. My youngest I am not ready to transition yet. Developmentally speaking, the average child will not sleep through the night consistently until after the age of 3. My first slept through early on and consistently. My daughter still wakes sometimes at night and sometimes she doesn't. I find it's best to keep a relaxed attitude. When you are ready to transition just do it very slowly and gently and you should have no problems. Nothing wrong with a child who needs their parent at any time of the day or night, I think its a good thing. but sleep is nice too :)

• 12-20-2008 7:40 PM

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  Jessa1866079 Joined on 12-13-2006 QLD, Australia Posts 18

  Re: Need some advice: 1yr old sleeping /night feeding issues Reply Contact I was the same with my 1st as well. I held him until he went to sleep right up until he was 1y/o but by that time I was just about to pop out my 2nd one so it was in all our best interests to get him to sleep on his own, 1st we bounced him in a bouncer and that worked, then a little while after he got used to doing that he put him in a crib downstairs with us, now that took a little getting used to for him but he managed. now he is almost 2 years old and sleeping in a 'big boy bed' all night everynight. I dont believe that co-sleeping will bring bad habits for them as they get older, and my son is proof of that!